Letter: Corporate partners not worth the price

I and many of my colleagues take issue with Kwantlen’s partnerships with the likes of multinational corporations such as Coca-Cola and Sodexo. Coca-Cola is known worldwide for pollution, human rights abuses such as child labour and union busting through campaigns of intimidation through murder and rape. Sodexo also fights against worker unionization and owns and runs private prisons throughout the world which represent a stain on the fundamental principles of justice.

Why is then that Kwantlen got into bed with these corporate criminals and dragged us, the students, into being complicit in their crimes?

Their privatization of our freedom of choice of food and drink on campus limits us to unhealthy foods and immoral options. This coupled with the lack of water fountains which creates a funnel toward these corporate giants leaves me shaking my head.

Is what we get in return worth having partnership with these companies? How is it that one meager bursary from billion dollar per year corporation Coca-Cola is enough to tip the balance in favour of students rather than our corporate sponsors?

I don’t think any price is worth getting into bed with these corporate giants when we have a huge local community of potential sponsors that we could look to and create long lasting relationships with.

Our student association needs to get back in order and get student’s attention regarding this issue so we can look for an alternative that actually has some benefit for students.

Miles Maclean, 3rd year Criminology